Diarra checks in at Portsmouth but waits for a 'really big club'

Lassana Diarra wins the prize for honesty. The France international midfielder put the final touches on his £5.5m move from Arsenal to Portsmouth yesterday, then declared that, "if a really big club" wanted him, his stay on the south coast would be a short one.

"The negotiations went very well," he said. "The people at Portsmouth know that I will not spend my life at the club. I was able to add a clause to my contract. If I shine, if a really big club wants me, I already know that everything will go well. I don't want any more battles."

Diarra has already been at two of the biggest clubs in the country this season, having left Chelsea for Arsenal on August 31. His departure from the Emirates Stadium was a battle after voicing his frustration at his lack of playing opportunities - he started only four Premier League fixtures. He is desperate for regular football, with an eye on his prospects at Euro 2008, and believes if he can play week in, week out, he can impress Raymond Domenech, the France coach, sufficiently to win a starting place in central midfield, ahead of either Patrick Vieira or Claude Makelele.

"My choice could shock and surprise people, I know that," he said. "It isn't Arsenal, it isn't Chelsea but I know the Portsmouth manager [Harry Redknapp] and I know he is going to play me.

"Some are already saying that in going to Portsmouth I am making a mistake regarding my chances with France but I don't think so. I need to play and I really want to think about myself, about those who appreciate me. I read that Arsenal wanted to keep me but when you want to keep someone, you do that by playing them."

The Reading striker Kevin Doyle has emerged as a transfer target for Aston Villa as Martin O'Neill's pursuit of Jermain Defoe becomes more complicated through possible interest from Newcastle United. O'Neill has courted Defoe for some time and has not given up on the possibility of signing the Tottenham Hotspur forward but, with Newcastle joining the race, Villa are widening their net and Doyle is known to be on the club's radar.

O'Neill has also identified the Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha as a potential recruit. Meanwhile Martin Laursen will today sign a new two-and-a-half year contract at Villa, ending doubts that he might quit the club on a free transfer in the summer. The Denmark international has been outstanding in central defence this season, scoring six goals.

The former Villa manager David O'Leary has rejected an interview for the Republic of Ireland managerial vacancy. "After much soul-searching I've declined the offer," he said. "It's a great honour and I'm very flattered to be considered. However, at this point in my career I wish to return to full-time club management."